Factory truss rod setting (minor Fender rant!)

[geoham]

Hi guys,

What's your experience with the factory setup on brand new instruments, particularly the truss rod? 

Since December there's three new instruments came in to my house... a Harley Benton 6 string bass (that my wife got me for xmas, misunderstanding my suggestion of a cheap 6 string guitar!),  a subsequent purchase of a cheap 6 string guitar - a Squier Strat, then a Fender Vintera 60s Jazz that arrived yesterday to replace my old Jazz that was stolen a couple of months ago.

All three of these instruments had something in common - pretty much zero tension in the truss rod! All of them needed significant adjustment. To put it in perspective, Fender state a factory spec of 0.35mm relief between the top of the 8th fret and bottom of the string. I don't have a feeler gauge, but I was able to fit two 1mm picks in the gap on my new Vintera (obviously with the first and last frets depressed). Being a vintage style bass, it's adjusted at the heel and required removal of the neck (or at least loosening), so a proper pain to adjust. Not really what you want to be doing after waiting a couple of weeks for delivery. But, a little time spent means the bass now feels as good as it looks and sounds!

Given the cost of the Fender compared to the HB and Squier,  I suppose my expectations were a little higher. I know everyone has their preferences regarding setup, but surely a rough baseline setup should be done prior to shipping. Or is there some logic in shipping basses without tension in the truss rod?

George

[hooky_lowdown]

Do you use high tension strings?

[geoham]

Just now, hooky_lowdown said:

Do you use high tension strings?

No, these are just the factory fitted strings.

[oldslapper]

I have asked sellers to slacken TR tension before sending a bass to me, if the neck wasn’t able to be removed. 
Probably over cautious, but in my head I feel happier that neck tension is one less stress on the bass in transit.

No science to back it up, just my anxiety levels.

[White Cloud]

It all depends on which factory we're talking about.

Regarding Fender QC, there's nothing that would surprise me.

[geoham]

1 minute ago, White Cloud said:

It all depends on which factory we're talking about.

Regarding Fender QC, there's nothing that would surprise me.

Made in Mexico.

Now that I've set it up I'm quite happy. But it arrived virtually unplayable, unless you fancied some archery!

[ClassicVibes]

I wouldn't expect any bass to arrive perfectly set-up. 

[White Cloud]

4 minutes ago, geoham said:

Made in Mexico.

Now that I've set it up I'm quite happy. But it arrived virtually unplayable, unless you fancied some archery!

The way they leave the Mexican factory  is very hit and miss in my experience. 

At least you're sorted and now up and running! No tension on the rod is to just invite a bow given that the neck is under string tension. 

[Tobe]

Why do you think truss rods are user serviceable? It's because wood necks move all the time with season and/or humidity, it's no big deal. It's the nature of wood in different enviroments, its supposed to be a tree located in one part of the world, not a guitar touring the globe!

Many world touring acts are always adjusting their instruments, its part of it. Some tour with guitar techs if they're not savy to doing it themselves. I think it was Steve Harris I read about on tour somewhere talking about his neck moving all over the place, he took his bass out of case somewhere to find his action was about half inch. Older instruments without graphite rod support can move massively. I've even seen frets lifting and fretboards shrink so that the fret ends stick out of the edge of the fretboard, only to be fine again when humidity is better. The joys of wood. You can't even blame Fender for that!!

[4000]

Most instruments in shops I can barely play. Way, way too much relief, ridiculous actions, but I’m so fussy about setup and have experienced it so much I just expect it to be the case. The last time I bought something that didn’t require setting up upon receipt it was either a Sei or my custom Alembic. Although to be fair, my old Rick 4004 had a decent setup bar a high nut. Everything else, and I mean everything, has to be sorted. Fenders? Hilarious. 

[FinnDave]

I have had a few new Fenders over the years and can't remember any having the relief more than very slightly out. I bought a new Sandberg a few months ago and that was, and still is, absolutely spot on.

[police squad]

I bought a 1973 P bass in the summer of 1990. It needed a set up. 

I sent it to the guy I always use, Andy Crockett. He set it up and I haven't touched the truss rod ever. I have done a lot of gigs with the bass and apart from, putting a schaller 3D bridge on, changing the pots and half the pickup, it's still the same original set up.

He stoned the frets and they are quite low, but they haven't worn down in all this time.

I suppose it could be just a very stable bit of wood and it's not really subjected to serious temperature change

[skankdelvar]

Most Fenders probably spend months if not years sitting in a warehouse, possibly in Arizona or Mexico. Anything from China / SE Asia probably gets stuck in a shipping container which will probably experience extremes of temperature and humidity. So warehousing / shipping a bass with a slack truss rod and loose strings makes perfect sense under the circs.

In an ideal world, a bass should be properly set-up by the retailer on arrival but retailers seldom have an in-house luthier, this because they are forced by low margins to employ stupid boys who know little whereof they speak.

Even if a retailer set up every instrument in the shop there's no guarantee the set-ups would suit every player. The only real solution is to set the instrument up oneself, a remarkably simple task once one wraps one's head around it.

Edited May 6, 2020 by skankdelvar

[BigRedX]

IMO there is no such thing as "a set up". Set up is very much a personal preference and what suites one musician may be seen as unplayable for another.

[4000]

2 hours ago, BigRedX said:

IMO there is no such thing as "a set up". Set up is very much a personal preference and what suites one musician may be seen as unplayable for another.

This is very true. As evidenced by people who find my basses almost unplayable, and vice versa. 

[Cuzzie]

4 hours ago, Tobe said:

Why do you think truss rods are user serviceable? It's because wood necks move all the time with season and/or humidity, it's no big deal. It's the nature of wood in different enviroments, its supposed to be a tree located in one part of the world, not a guitar touring the globe!

Many world touring acts are always adjusting their instruments, its part of it. Some tour with guitar techs if they're not savy to doing it themselves. I think it was Steve Harris I read about on tour somewhere talking about his neck moving all over the place, he took his bass out of case somewhere to find his action was about half inch. Older instruments without graphite rod support can move massively. I've even seen frets lifting and fretboards shrink so that the fret ends stick out of the edge of the fretboard, only to be fine again when humidity is better. The joys of wood. You can't even blame Fender for that!!

This is one of the many reasons why Status necks rule

[dave_bass5]

All the basses ive got for as long as i can remember have needed some tension added to the TR. From the Squiers to my Yamaha P34. I put this down to having a preference that these companies dont know about. 😃

[ClassicVibes]

15 hours ago, police squad said:

I bought a 1973 P bass in the summer of 1990. It needed a set up. 

I sent it to the guy I always use, Andy Crockett. He set it up and I haven't touched the truss rod ever. I have done a lot of gigs with the bass and apart from, putting a schaller 3D bridge on, changing the pots and half the pickup, it's still the same original set up.

He stoned the frets and they are quite low, but they haven't worn down in all this time.

I suppose it could be just a very stable bit of wood and it's not really subjected to serious temperature change

Er... I would check that. I'm pretty sure it will have moved after 30 years of temperature changes.

[ClassicVibes]

14 hours ago, BigRedX said:

IMO there is no such thing as "a set up". Set up is very much a personal preference and what suites one musician may be seen as unplayable for another.

So a set up then? 🤣

[police squad]

7 minutes ago, ClassicVibes said:

Er... I would check that. I'm pretty sure it will have moved after 30 years of temperature changes.

No need. It's still the most playable bass. The action is low and it doesn't rattle. I've never had a bass set up so well.

If you're ever in Deal, come and have a go.

[ClassicVibes]

Fricking hell, you might has well be in France!

[FDC484950]

Tension off the neck and strings slackened for transport I can understand, but no tension on the truss rod and strings at pitch just seems to be inviting issues if shipped and exposed to lots of temperature variations IMHO.

[White Cloud]

I've had a wooden neck on a very expensive handmade bass completely fail back in the 80's ... not cool. That led me to purchasing my first non-truss rod graphite necked bass. 

Tbh I won't buy any bass without at least graphite rod reinforcement nowadays. 

[Geek99]

18 hours ago, geoham said:

Made in Mexico.

Now that I've set it up I'm quite happy. But it arrived virtually unplayable, unless you fancied some archery!

No excuse for that. Who did you buy it from ?

[4000]

12 hours ago, Cuzzie said:

This is one of the many reasons why Status necks rule

I bought a used Status once and the neck was twisted. I’ve seen it happen to Zon and Modulus too. Stuff happens to carbon fibre necks too y’know. 😉